East Tennessee State puts Randy Sanders on paid suspension

For 12 long years, there were no fall ETSU football games. Then in 2015, the Bucs made a comeback.
Angela Gosnell/News Sentinel

FILE - Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher, left, send in a play via his offensive coordinator Randy Sanders in the first half of an NCAA college football game against Chattanooga in Tallahassee, Fla., Saturday, Nov. 21, 2015. (AP Photo/Mark Wallheiser)(Photo: Mark Wallheiser, AP)

East Tennessee State coach Randy Sanders has been placed on paid administrative leave pending the results of an investigation of a potential violation of university policy, the school announced in a statement Monday.

ETSU hired Sanders, the former Tennessee quarterback and longtime Vols assistant coach, in December. He was previously the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Florida State.

Sanders replaced Carl Torbush, who retired. Torbush coached ETSU for three seasons after the university relaunched the program in 2015. The program had been shut down for financial reasons in 2003.

Sanders took the reins of a team that went 4-7 last season.

The job offered a homecoming for Sanders, who is from Morristown, located 65 miles southwest of Johnson City.

Sanders was a backup quarterback for UT from 1984-88. He joined Johnny Majors' staff in 1989 and remained a Vols assistant through the 2005 season.

Sanders became UT's offensive coordinator before the Vols' national championship victory over Florida State to culminate the 1998 season. He replaced David Cutcliffe, who left to become Mississippi's coach. Sanders remained the Vols' OC until resigning amid the 2005 season.

Overall, Sanders spent 17 years as a Vols assistant. He then coached at Kentucky and FSU. The ETSU position is his first head coaching opportunity.